A Rural Tale:
A Cautionary Allegory for IS Researchers

Professor Mike Newman

Abstract

A textual fragment from a case study describing the attempted introduction of a simple water deliver system into a rural village is presented. Using text as allegory, we try to reveal how textual analysis, management change theories, social theory and IS literature can be used to add to our understanding of the events portrayed in the text. We show what each interpretive device contributes to our understanding as well as uncovering their limitations. The paper ends by drawing some lessons for IS researchers.

Keywords: Allegory, Information Systems, Research, Management Change Theories, Textual Analysis
1. Introduction and the Rural Tale

Consider the following description of a series of events at a rural village:

“A story was recently told concerning a certain village in a developing countryS1. The villagers were approached by foreign aid workers with a view to making their......

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Title: Rural Tale
Approximate Word Count: 6561
Approximate Pages: 27 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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